http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb178/csantamaria7/Elle/Elleoutside-day2c.jpg

http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb178/csantamaria7/Elle/Elleoutside-day2b.jpg

http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb178/csantamaria7/Elle/Elleoutside-day2.jpg

Elle will be eight weeks old on Monday. According to the breeder she has been eating Purina Puppy Chow for a couple weeks and she gave us a supply to take with us. She suggested a half a cup a day or more, feeding either once or twice a day.

Back when Sophie was eight weeks old we fed her 1/4 cup three times a day but can't remember how long that lasted until switching to an adult schedule of 1-1/4 cups twice a day that we've stayed with ever since. Same was true with Zoe.

Also, we fed them Flint River Ranch Lamb & Rice. They've always done well with it and we think the high quality food has kept them very healthy at 60-65 lbs. We already have a bag of FR's Puppy & Adult Kibble and I've sprinkled in a few pieces to the Puppy Chow. Only problem is that she's not yet eating anything or at least I've not seen her eating. But she's had a poop a day since she came to live with us, so perhaps she is eating. We've left the bowl out for her but she's not actively attacking it yet.

We also tried a small serving of Esbliac 2nd Step Puppy Weaning Food which is a powder mixed with water thinking that perhaps she is not yet ready for dry kibble despite the claims of the breeder.

She looks and feels okay physically but just want to hear other's feeding experience with 8-weeks old pups.

Thanks for your help.


Tugboat

Our Mousse came to us at 10 1/2 weeks. At that point he was eating 1 1/2 cups twice a day.

The breeder also recommended that we put some water on his food, to soften it up. But I decided that he enjoys the crunching now!


We also don't let him have his food dish at free will. He has about 20 minutes to gobble, and then we take it away. If he didn't eat enough at one time, I would do 3 feedings... But Moussey has no trouble with eating! ;)

When did you get your pup? Who by the way is adorable!

I was going to say if you just got the pup she may be a little stressed in her new surroundings and not ready to eat yet. It's good you have a better quality food for her too.

I have had success with putting the pup in the crate with the food at meal time and then there are no distractions. I still do this with the cocker mix we have and she is almost 1. She just gets to distracted.

We took Kodie home from the breeder when he was 8 weeks old & he was on Flint River Ranch(that's what she fed). For the first 2 days he wouldn't eat. Ok now here's where you will all laugh.... After mositening the food, I sat on the floor next to Kodie picked up the dish & made licking noises. He climbed in my lap started to join in, I put the bowl down & he started to eat. Only had to do it one more time & he was then on his own.
I think they go through a lot when taken from their moms & sibilings * it takes them time. Good luck.
BTW...I always added some water to the kibble, he didn't like it dry.

Oh forgot to mention your pup is adorable. Also when Kodie was 11 weeks old I switched to Canidae, he didn't do well on the Flint...took a long time to digest then had a food intolerance, loose BM etc.

Oh no, I'm so saddened by the tragic loss of your TVD girl. I remember her well. Godspeed, dear Zoe. :(


We also tried a small serving of Esbliac 2nd Step Puppy Weaning Food which is a powder mixed with water thinking that perhaps she is not yet ready for dry kibble despite the claims of the breeder.

An 8 week old puppy should be able to handle kibble just fine. Have you spoken to the breeder about this issue?

you should not leave the food down all day. pick it up after 20 minutes. feed in the crate. dont change the food yet, its what he's used to. you have plenty of time to slowly change the food once he settles in.

doesnt seem like there is anything wrong with him, he'll eat when he's hungry and feels safe.

Elle is ADORABLE! She looks so much like our new addition, Belle!!!!! If she's pooping it would make sense that she's eating and maybe you just aren't seeing it. She's probably not attacking it just yet because she's still getting used to her surroundings. But if the problem continues I would definitely call the breeder.

Your new puppy is very adorable! You have been given some good suggestions and I wanted to add, has she been to the vet? When getting a new puppy it is always wise to have a vet check ASAP and most breeders will suggest within 72 hrs. Hopefully she just needs to get adjusted to her new home and routine.

I would just like to say thanks to all of you for your ideas and suggestions. We added a little teaspoon of condensed milk (the breeder suggested this) for the first time this morning and after a little hesitancy she began to eat. We left it there and she came back to eat a couple more times. We left the food out only because we could see she was eating in spurts. We will now try to establish the 3-times a day small servings with a little moistening of increasingly diluted condensed milk before switching to water and then hopefully to dry kibble. We will be watching her carefully.

Regarding a visit to the vet, we scheduled an appointment when we knew we would be picking her up because the breeder has a puppy exchange policy should there be any health problems within a week of purchase. We did the same quick puppy wellness check for both Sophie and Zoe within the first week of having them. We also had them micro-chipped and our pet insurance has recently changed to include coverage for that along with twice a year physical check-ups. Apparently vets are now suggesting that which is why the insurance coverage was upgraded. It's a little more money but we know it's worth it.

Some might say we're overprotective here but things sometimes happen and we want to be sure that our girls are well taken care of. The vet appointment is Tuesday. I'll post after we get Elle checked out.

Thanks again.


Tugboat

==================

http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb178/csantamaria7/Elle/Ellesfirstnightandfirstmorning080.jpg

Some might say we're overprotective here...


Not at all, in that first year she will grow to the equivalent of a teenager and roughly 7 years for every human year after that. Most people would not wait 7 years to see their Dr.